I want to shoot 1000 yards

I will start at 50 yards, then 100 up to 500 yards. Anybody can suggest such a rifle and the ammo?
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That's a good first step. Honestly, I'd probably go with .223 for this first step. You'll save a lot on ammunition, and there's no sense dealing with any more recoil than you need to during this phase.

Later on, when you have to step up in caliber to get all the way to 1,000 yards, there are practical ways to deal with the recoil given that you'll only be target shooting.
 
I'm sticking that starting with a .22 is a very good idea. Trigger time is invaluable both in learning fundamentals and in progressing in skill. Dry fire only goes so far. I for one don't have the budget for private lessons, but Appleseed taught me solid fundamentals using a .22. I don't have the budget to put a hundred centerfire cartridges down range, but a couple hundred rimfire isn't an issue.
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22 fire only goes so far as well, you also missed in the OP that he already has a pistol caliber carbine which offers the exact same practice that a 22 does without the added headache of trying to locate 22lr ammo.

I believe that of available, in stock 22LR the average cost per round for regular standard velocity is about 10 cents a round, people are loading 9mm for cheaper than that.
 
The OP has no trigger time

The OP has no trigger time. I would suggest you find a shooting club locally and find someone to help you. First off you do not know how much recoil you can handle. You need to find that out first and then go on from there. If you were close to me I would take you out as I have plenty to choose from and I have a .308 that I need to site in at 300m and my old 721 that I need to get sited in at 600m.

Once you get the caliber decided then you can start looking but there is no reason you should not pick up a decent scoped .22 and start practicing untill you find something suitable for distance shooting.

You did not state what accuracy means to you. Some of these guys consider it hitting a 10 inch plate at 1000m that is not me any more but hitting a deer and dropping it at 600m is. I played that game a long time ago and it got boreing.
 
That budget is really stretching it. You're gonna want a used Savage, if you can find one - that's probably your best bet. Check the auction sites. Yes, the single shot Savages are known for accuracy. The right-bolt, left-port ones are nice. But I dunno how many people actually part with them on the used market, so without upping the budget, you might be looking awhile. Chambering.... if new I'd say 6.5-284, but used, I'd go with less of a barrel burner - .308 or .260 rem or 6.5 creedmoor. Those the chamberings in factory Savages of late. Recommendation wold be different for rifle & chamberings with different budget.

Come to think of it, even on the used market, a target version of Savage would exceed that budget, so I dunno. In that situation, I'd probably want a T/C Venture new or used (about $425 or so new) in 6.5x55 or 7mm-08 - that may be your best bet for stellar accuracy. Or a used Tikka T3.

And in my personal experience, cops still don't do jack crap even if the the burglars do take stuff.
 
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The large guns stores such as Dick's Sporting Goods often have sales on heavy barrel Savage rifles, some with scopes, that should keep you close to your price range. Savage rifles have a well earned reputation as being very accurate right out of the box and there is a lot of after market parts available (in case you catch the long range bug and want to pursue it further). As for chambering I would look very hard at the 308 Winchester. It has some very accurate ammunition on the market that is decently priced and there is a lot of not so accurate but very cheap ammunition out there just for plinking.

Welcome to TFL and the world of shooting :)
 
Can a .223 remington go 500 yards?
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Hope so I shoot a lot of across the course (200, 300, 600) and 1000 yard service rifle matches with the 223.

Budget is around $500 for the just the rifle.


LOL, that's a good one (LOL).

If you really plan on shooting 1,000 yards, plan on spending between $3,000 to $5,000 on equipment. Rifle, scope, rangefinders, wind meters, wind flags, rifle rests, spotting scopes and reloading equipment and components.
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I'm not buying that one bit. Long range shooting is about the shooter not the equipment.

Just about any rifle/bullet will work at 1000 yards if one learns to shoot the rifle, adjust the sights, read the wind, mirage, and other environmental conditions.

To the OP, take your $500 and find a good quality used bolt gun, 243, 308, '06 270 Win or similar rounds (I'd recommend against the magnums) and lean to shoot the rifle.

Start at 100 yards with fundamentals and work your way out as you improve.

Watch the grass, smoke, dust, flags, trees, anything that moves to get an idea of what the wind velocity is and see how it effects your bullet impact.

Get any of the good free ballistic programs and put in you rifle/bullet information and see what it tells you at different ranges and wind-temp-altitude conditions.

Shooting is NOT about the Hard ware (rifle and other equipment), its about the software (shooter and marksmanship fundamentals).
 
I am no long range shooter. The farthest I've shot at targets is 100 yards, I've shot deer at around up to 350 yards if I recall correctly. If you want to start out at 50 and 100 yards, skip the scope for now. With a $500 budget, buying new there aren't many options. One worth considering is a NEF, with a synthetic stock and blued metal, the fancier ones are too costly and are the same basic gun. If it was me I'd go with .243, .308, .30-06, or .45-70. The price of Winchester Super X is $25-$35 for any of those except the .45-70 but you can grab a box of Hornady LeveRevolution for $30 in .45-70. A NEF rifle new costs around $300. That leaves you plenty of money for a fairly nice scope. Or if you hunt the used market you can get a really nice bolt action from Remington or Savage for less than $500. You aren't going to get a fancy target gun for $500 but you'll be able to get a rifle easily capable of 500 yards I'm sure. I use a Savage 110 in .243 and have taken a few hundred yard shots before and hit deer and I'm only using scopes less $100 on my guns. So a $200 scope ought to do you well.
 
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The OP has no trigger time.
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can we please start reading the OP?
he has a rifle!
TNW-ASR
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admittedly he is a novice, but he does have trigger time, he does have a practice rig.
 
Goals are wonderful, and let no-one take them from you. However, do use their input to filter out what may or may not be reasonable and or achievable for you.

I have a 12 year old who shot an elk at 350 yards with a .308, something a lot of people will say can't be done, but we are eating the meat. :)

I will just ditto KraigWY's post as he knows what it takes and spelled it out pretty well. But, technique IS important once you push past a few hundred yards. If you learn wrong...it is hard to undo. So, have you been to Appleseed yet? If not, it is worth the investment!

After Appleseed, try to get to a local match of some sort and talk to guys who are actually doing the deed. Peacekeeper is one place where you might find a match or two and get some hands on maybe. One of the goals should be to find a local guy who is willing to mentor you a bit. It is okay to let some mentor bias in equipment creep in, so long as it is still with mainline brands of rifles and optics. Like I shoot Remingtons and Burris, but if the guy you find shoots Savage and Vortex, perfectly fine.

Bolts and autos are different, and there are an even smaller number of guys who have mastered both, so keep that in your mind as you search.

.22LRs are good trainers and may be worth a look. Many of the top competitive LR precision guys have .22LR trainers and practice on them a lot. Also, dry-fire works for precision too, so do it.

While I own some of the higher priced rigs, a simple .308 bolt gun (Tikka, Savage or 700) in a good stock with decent glass can get you to 1000 no problem. The size of the targets might need to be a bit larger, but you should be able to hit 18" to 24" targets at 1000 yards on a budget of $1500 or so into the rig. This has been proven time and time again. Some guys have tried at $1K, but that is pushing the envelope a bit IMHO. 600 yards for $600 rig...sure. But it is the next 400 that are difficult in terms of skill and equipment.
 
Like many I didn't realize the op had a rifle already. I skimmed over it and didn't catch the details, I thought it was a handgun. Since you have that rifle, try it out to 100 yards. Try 200 while you're at it.
 
I just tried 1000 yards yesterday for the first time, it took me about 30 rds to hit my 10 inch plate... but I was happy. I shot a lot at 600 yards on that plate and even here I do not hit every time.
I would recommend a lot of 100 yard shooting until you consistently do a very tight 5 group shot. If you can only get 2 inch group at 100 then keep working on it or youll never hit your target at 1000.
My rifle is a simple remington 700 sps varmint in 22-250 (definitely not the best for long distance) the only mod I did was to replace the stock wirh an hs precision stock (free float, aluminum bedding)
The scope I have is a hunring scope, Redfield revenge 6-18x44 (I think) bipod and sand bag for the rear.
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Here is 5 shot at 100, once I got it there I was confident enough to try that 1k. (I can do that kind of group or a little better every time, but I have a lots of shooting time with this gun)
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Here is my plate
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I reload for my rifle, it took me months to find the right load/bullet combination that will work the best for that rifle.
 
2015 NRA Outdoors Long Range School Dates Set

And yes, I did note the pistol caliber carbine in the OP. My 2¢ remains that a .22 Marlin 795 and an Appleseed is a tried and true method for learning or relearning solid fundamentals. If it's a local Appleseed then likely proper connections to a local gun club can be made, which as many have pointed out is invaluable. I've been averaging about 6.5¢ per round on bulk and standard ammo (e.g. Federal Auto-Match, Remington Golden Bullet, and CCI Standard).

About 2/3 of my .22 shooting is now done through a CZ 452. But even so, I can't imagine not having a .22 in my safe. I have my 452 Ultra Lux set up such that it has pretty much the same balance, weight, and trigger pull as my .204. The .22 provides me quality trigger time that I could not otherwise afford.
 
If you have the $$ get a Sako TRG 42 in 338 Lapua and put a Nightforce ACTAR 25X56 scope on it and 1000yrds is a very attainable goal even with factory ammo but better if you handload! With a shooter app you can load your data and then dial the scope for drop and wind.:cool:
 
If you have the $$ get a Sako TRG 42 in 338 Lapua and put a Nightforce ACTAR 25X56 scope on it and 1000yrds is a very attainable goal even with factory ammo but better if you handload! With a shooter app you can load your data and then dial the scope for drop and wind.
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Yeah, because every new shooter needs to drop $6000 when just starting out.:rolleyes:

.22LR at 200 yards is a pretty good approximation of a .308 at 1000, and easier to get range time. I ran the numbers a while back, and at sea level, a 22LR Federal 40gr Match bullet at 1080 FPS in a 10 MPH full value wind has about 3.9 MOA of wind at 100 yards, which is roughly the same as my 6.5-06 Long Range rig at 625 yards (140AMAX @ 2818 FPS). At 200 yards it has about 9 min, which matches my 6.5 at about 1200 yards.

Hopefully you will learn pretty quick who to listen to on this forum, and who to ignore when it comes to LR shooting.

Kraigwy and Bart are guys you should listen to.
 
.22LR at 200 yards is a pretty good approximation of a .308 at 1000,
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I would not say this is the case at all, I've shot squirrels at 200 yards with a 22LR, I don't think I would risk a 1000 yard shot on a coyote at 1000 yards with a 308... but that's just me.

I whole heartedly agree that a 338 lapua, regardless of brand is a terrible step up from a PCC and nobody should need to be slapping a $2500+ scope on their first serious rifle.
 
I would not say this is the case at all, I've shot squirrels at 200 yards with a 22LR, I don't think I would risk a 1000 yard shot on a coyote at 1000 yards with a 308... but that's just me.
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Apples and oranges. If you are a little off on the Squirrel, you miss, and pretty much any hit will be fatal. On a coyote (or larger animal) being a little off can be a non-fatal hit. Well, not immediately fatal.

But for wind reading, which is the most important part of fixed distance LR shooting, it is pretty close.
 
But for wind reading, which is the most important part of fixed distance LR shooting, it is pretty close.
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+1
The thousands of rounds I have fired over the years at the NRA 200 yard target proved to me to be an excellent training device. And economical as well.
 
emcon5 said:
But for wind reading, which is the most important part of fixed distance LR shooting, it is pretty close.
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+2
The comparison is valid for paper and gaining inexpensive experience on doping the wind. I don't believe the comparison was ever intended to apply to whether or not the trigger should be pulled on game.
 
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